


The Right Book

by dementorsatemysoup



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Crush, But So Is Fjord, Caleb Is Awkward, Caleb Works In A Library, First Kiss, Fjord Tries Reading To Impress Caleb, Fluff, He Doesn't Get Very Far, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 16:06:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13721211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dementorsatemysoup/pseuds/dementorsatemysoup
Summary: anonymous asked: For the prompt thing: Modern AU where Caleb is the librarian at the local library and Fjord keeps borrowing increasingly complex books in order to impress him.





	The Right Book

**Author's Note:**

> I could have chosen better novels, I know, but it's whatever. I've never actually read the novels I mention in this story, mostly because I didn't know they existed until I wrote this; might have to do some reading at some point. Anyway, this is my very first story for this fandom (not counting a couple random drabbles). Which is huge for me because I never actually thought I'd write for it.
> 
> So thanks for reading and drop me a comment/kudo if you can :)

“Ma’am we don’t have that book,” Caleb says softly, turning the screen towards her so she can see for herself. “But I’m willing to order...”

She squints at the screen over her glasses, poking the monitor, missing the way Caleb winces when her finger leaves a smudge. “It says here that you do.”

“Yes, normally we do, but every copy has been checked...”

“If you do,” she starts slowly, narrowing her eyes at him, “then why tell me you don’t.”

“Because it’s checked out,” he says softly, pointing at the screen. “It’s not here at the moment, but I’ll order...”

“Well, when is someone going to return it?”

Caleb barely holds back a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?”

“Because I don’t...”

She gives him a dark look, pulling her purse strap higher up on her shoulder, and storms out of the library, grumbling under her breath.

“Have a nice day,” Caleb mutters sarcastically, letting his eyes drift back to his book. He’s not even supposed to be here today, but his inability to say no has once again screwed him out of another day off.

He hears the door open and he sighs softly, looking up from his book, watching as a girl with blue hair and a tall man walk past the counter, the girl chatting animatedly in a thick, Russian accent while the man nods along, a fond smile on his face.

“And I’m not saying, technically, that it was my fault, but I am saying, technically, that it wasn’t not my fault...”

“Jester, did you do it?”

She gives him an unashamed smile and says, “I did.”

He snorts, shaking his head, and the two disappear behind the shelf, the girl giggling at something the guy said.

Caleb closes his book, rubbing the back of his neck, and hopes these two leave soon.

* * *

 Fjord watches as Jester moves all the books around, peeking around the shelf to make sure the librarian isn’t coming to check on them. When he looks back at her he says, “Don’t you think this is a little cruel?”

“I’m not doing anything bad,” Jester replies, reordering the Narnia novels by title instead of number. “Technically all the books are still in order by author. I’m just-” she moves onto another series, “-reordering them a little bit.”

When she’s satisfied with her work, Jester moves onto another shelf, and Fjord quickly fixes the books. He noticed how tired the librarian looked when they walked in, he’s not going to give this guy even more work.

“Are you interested in that series?” a voice asks from behind Fjord and he whirls around, clutching _The Magician’s Nephew_ tightly in his hand, heart hammering in his chest.

The librarian looks up at him with his arms crossed, eyebrows raised in inquiry, and Fjord stammers, “Uh, I was just, uh...” he turns, putting the books back, and grabs one at random. “Thinking about checking this out.”

Uncrossing his arms, the librarian lets his eyes drift towards the book in Fjord’s hand. “Are you sure?”

“Uh, yeah.” Fjord nods. “Yep. I just really like-” he glances at the cover. “DH Lawrence? I like how she...”

“He,” the librarian corrects softly.

“Yeah, uh, he writes. His stuff. You know?”

With a dubious look, the librarian nods. “Uh-huh.” His looks towards the bookshelf Jester had disappeared behind. “Is your friend going to reorganize all my shelves?”

Flushing, Fjord murmurs, “Probably.”

Eyes narrowing, the librarian says, “Then you’ve got a lot of work cut out for you.”

“Yeah.”

Fjord watches the man walk away. He jumps when Jester appears at his side and asks, “Why do you have that look on your face?”

“What look?” he says, quickly looking away and down at her.

“Like you’ve been hit with a brick?”

Scowling, Fjord grumbles, “Are you done messing with the shelves?”

“It’s no fun if you fix them,” Jester replies, pouting.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t do it.”

She thinks a minute before shaking her head. “Nah. Let’s go to the grocery store. I have a potato chip aisle I need to rearrange.”

With a sigh, Fjord puts the DH Lawrence novel back and follows her out, keeping his head down when he walks past the librarian. He swears he feels the man’s eyes on the back of his head, but when he chances a look back at him he’s silently reading his book.

* * *

 “It’s not too flashy?” Nott asks worriedly, spreading her arms out, showing Caleb her new dress.

“It’s beautiful,” he says with a smile, holding his phone up so he can see her better. “I like the color.”

“Do you?” When he nods, she smiles shyly. “I wasn’t sure. I liked the red, but there was this blue one...” she trails off, uncertainty in her eyes. “Are you sure you like the color?”

“I promise.”

The library door opens and Caleb looks up, watching as the guy from the other day walks past the counter. He’s accompanied by a man with a head full of lavender hair and piercings; his flashy blue coat barely hiding the scars crisscrossing the back of his neck. His boots clomp across the floor as he heads towards the reference section, the other man following behind him, hands stuffed in his jeans pockets, head down. Caleb hadn’t noticed before, but he has a scar running down his face, right across his left eye. He wonders how he got it.

“Nott, I’ll have to call you back, okay? Someone came into the library.”

“Okay, Caleb. Bye.”

“Goodbye.”

He ends the face time call, pocketing his phone, and cranes his head, trying to see around the bookshelves, wondering what these two guys are doing; hoping it’s not going to be a repeat of the other day. He doesn’t feel like rearrange bookshelves again.

They return a good twenty minutes later, the lavender guy setting a pile of books onto the counter, his card sitting on top, and Caleb scans it before scanning each book, listening to their conversation.

“I could be in a band,” the lavender guy says casually, his accent lighter than the blue haired girl's but definitely there.

“Can you play an instrument?” the other guy asks, and Caleb notices an accent now; something southern. How did he miss all these small details last time? He’s usually better at this.

“It can’t be that hard.”

“If you say so.”

Caleb pushes the books towards him, setting his library card on top, and he offers Caleb a smile and tilts his head into a slight nod. “Thank you.”

“Have a good day.”

As he steps away from the counter, the other guy sets a book down and says, “Hello.”

“Hello,” Caleb greets him, looking down at the book. “Joseph Conrad is very good.”

“Is he?” the guy asks, glaring back at his friend when he snorts. He turns back to Caleb and smiles. “Would you recommend him?”

“Uh, I guess. He can be difficult to read, but you seem clever.” He scans the book before realizing he hasn’t scanned the man’s card yet, face flushing. “Sorry,” he murmurs, keeping his head down.

“It’s fine.”

Caleb risks a glance up at the other man, and he notices the sincere look on his face, and the way his ears are a little red. He’s not sure what caused the redness, but he’s not about to ask either.

He quickly corrects his mistake, handing the book and card back to the man, and says, “Have a nice day.”

“You too.”

He risks looking at the computer as he’s leaving, wanting to get a name, furrowing his eyebrows when he reads the five letter word: _Fjord? How did he even pronounce that?_

As soon as the door closes behind the two men, Caleb immediately calls Nott.

* * *

Fjord keeps the book for a week before returning it, feeling a little guilty that he hadn’t actually read it. He’d tried, three times, but he couldn’t get into the plot and his eyes kept slipping over the words without really taking them in, and by the end of the week he had to admit he just didn’t like the book.

He drops the book into the return bin, tapping his fingers against the top, telling himself he should just go home, but he really wants to see that librarian again.

 _But what if he asks about the book_ , he asks himself.

 _Lie_ , he replies, the voice sounding a lot like Jester.

He doesn’t want to lie to the guy, but he really doesn’t want to admit he couldn’t get into the book either. Especially since the guy called him clever; he really should have just read the book.

“Oh, hello.”

Fjord turns around, watching as the librarian walks up the steps, tattered brown jacket unbuttoned. He’s holding a set of keys, and Fjord realizes the library isn’t even open yet.

“Uh, hi.”

“You finish your book?” the librarian asks, unlocking the doors.

“Yes,” Fjord lies, shooting a guilty look at the return box. “It was-” he trails off, searching for the right word. “-great.”

“What was your favorite part?”

“I just-” Fjord shrugs. “Everything?”

A skeptical look crosses the librarian’s face, but he nods and says, “Okay.” He pushes the doors open, gesturing for Fjord to enter the building first, and follows him inside.

“I have to get the computer set up, but feel free to look around. Perhaps Conrad isn’t for you.”

Before Fjord can respond, the librarian has already walked away, disappearing into the back office to drop off his coat. Fjord sighs, shaking his head slowly, and starts browsing the shelves.

* * *

Caleb is crawling around on the floor, looking for the thumbtack he dropped, when he hears someone approach the counter. He gets up too quickly, cracking his head, and swears in German.

“You okay?”

He recognizes the voice immediately and his face flushes. He stands up, keeping his eyes down, and nods. “I am fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

He looks up at the man who most definitely did not read Conrad; at Fjord. Caleb doesn’t blame him, he barely wanted to read him in college, but he doesn’t know why the guy lied to him; it’s not like he would have cared. Sometimes it took a few tries to find the right book.

Caleb glances down at the book the guy set on the counter, tilting his head. “ _Infinite Jest_? You sure have an eclectic taste in books.”

“Just keeepin’ my options open,” Fjord replies, ruffling the back of his hair.

“Okay.” Caleb takes his library card from him, scanning it, and scans the book too. When he hands both back to him, he can’t help asking, “Your name?”

“How is it pronounced?” Fjord says and Caleb nods. “Like Ford. The vehicle.”

“Why the J?”

“Why not?” Fjord winks, walking out of the library. Caleb flushes and he sits down in his chair only to hop up.

He sat on the thumbtack.

* * *

Fjord doesn’t get very far into this book either before giving up. He sighs softly, shaking his head, and gets his laptop. He searches for book titles that sound smart, but would hold his interest. He has to read something, just so he can talk to the cute librarian about it. The guy always has his nose buried in a book every time Fjord goes into the library. He likes to read; Fjord can learn to like to read. He just needs to find the right book.

He drops _Infinite Jest_ off in the return slot that night after work, a list full of potential book titles crammed in his back pocket. He nods at the librarian when he steps into the library, heading into the back, and starts searching the shelves.

“Do you need help?” he hears the librarian call from the front.

“Uh, I...” Fjord sighs, heading towards the front of the library. He stops at the counter, digging his list out of his pocket, and drops it on the counter. “Do you have any of these books?”

The librarian scans the list, nodding slowly, and says, “We have all of these books.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.” He turns to the computer, typing in the first title on the list, and sighs softly. “Looks like that one has been checked out.” He types in the next one, but that one has been checked out too. One after the other, all of the books Fjord had found on the internet are not in the library. The librarian shakes his head slowly and says, “I’m sorry. Perhaps I can find you something else?”

“I mean... I was hoping...” Fjord hangs his head, letting out a slow breath. “Okay. What would you recommend?”

“Do you have any hobbies?”

“I, uh, I make model boats? You know, in the bottles?” He’s not sure why he sounds like he’s asking a question, but he’s grateful when the librarian doesn’t comment on it.

“Do you like sailing?”

“Haven’t been sailing in years?” Not since his father died, but Fjord had loved it when he’d been a kid. “But yeah, I don’t mind it.”

The librarian looks up, smiling, and says, “Robert Louis Stevenson.”

“What?”

“That’s who I recommend.” He gestures towards the far shelves and says, “I think you’ll enjoy him.”

“Thanks. Thank you.”

“Anytime.

* * *

Caleb looks up when someone sets a book on the counter, smiling when he sees the grin on Fjord’s face. “Enjoy the book?”

“I did actually,” Fjord answers, nodding enthusiastically. “Thank you for recommending him.”

Caleb nods. “He’s written more books. If you’d like to read them.”

“Yeah, I would.” Fjord hurries back towards the shelves, returning a moment later with two books. He sets them on the counter, handing Caleb his card, and curiously asks, “What’s your name?”

“Hmmm?”

“Your name? I figure, I’m in here a lot. I probably should have asked your name a while ago.” He flushes and says, “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s...” Caleb sighs, dragging his name plate out of his desk drawer. “I tend to remove it from the desk. So, you know, I can avoid answering questions.”

“You’re not much of a people person are you?”

Caleb shrugs, handing the books back to Fjord. “Books I get; people are just...” he shrugs again. “Enjoy your books, Fjord.”

“Thank you, Caleb.”

It’s the first time Fjord’s ever said his name, and Caleb can’t lie. He likes the way he says his name.

* * *

Fjord returns two days later, sans his books, with a perfectly good plan in mind. He’s going to march up to Caleb’s desk, say hi, and then ask him politely if he wants to get coffee sometime. It’s a good plan, despite what Molly, Jester, and Beau said, and he’s not going to mess it up.

His heart sinks when he finds a tall woman sitting behind the desk, typing something on the computer, her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, white strands of hair hanging down on either side of her face. She looks up when Fjord approaches the desk and says, “Can I help you?”

“Uh, where’s-” Fjord trails off, taking a breath. “Is Caleb here?”

“He has the day off,” the woman replies, scratching at the black tattoo running down her chin. “He’ll be back tomorrow.”

“O-okay.” Fjord nods, turning to leave the library, stopping short when the door opens and Caleb walks inside.

They stare at each other for way too long, neither one saying anything, the moment breaking only when Yasha asks, “Who comes into work on their day off?”

Caleb shrugs, ruffling his hair. “I ran out of books.”

Yasha looks between the two men, a knowing smile on her face, and she mutters, “I seriously doubt that.”

“Can I talk to you?” Fjord asks, ignoring Yasha’s comment, and Caleb nods.

Yasha picks up a pair of headphone, cramming them on her head, and a loud guitar rift suddenly emits from the speakers. She looks back at the computer, staring intently at whatever is on the screen, and Fjord can’t help the amused huff that escapes his lips. She’s not very subtle.

“What’d you want to talk about?” Caleb asks curiously, crossing his arms.

“Uh, I just...” the light drifts across Caleb’s face and Fjord’s breath caught in his throat. “Gods, you’re beautiful.”

Face turning a fierce red, Caleb whispers, “What?”

“I, I didn’t...” Ears burning, Fjord coughs, running his palm across the back of his neck. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” Mutely, Caleb nods, looking down at his feet. “No, wait, I did,” Fjord says quickly, crossing the few steps to stand in front of Caleb. “You are; you are so beautiful.”

“I’m not.”

“You are,” Fjord insists, hesitating for a moment before resting his hand against Caleb’s cheek, slowly brushing his thumb against his skin. Caleb leans into the touch, closing his eyes, warm breath stuttering against Fjord’s palm.

This hadn’t been part of Fjord’s plan; this is so far from Fjord’s plan. He had a perfectly good plan; what happened to the plan?

 _Screw the plan._ He leans forward, resting his forehead against Caleb’s, and he softly asks, “Is it okay if I kiss you?”

Swallowing heavily, Caleb nods, elation soaring through Fjord’s chest. He isn’t sure who kisses who first, but it’s sweet and nice and he’s never following any of his plans ever again.

Behind him, he swears he hears Yasha murmur, “About damn time.”

When they break apart, Caleb breaths softly against his cheek and whispers, “I lied.”

“What?”

“About the books you wanted. We had all of them.”

Fjord laughs quietly, pressing his forehead against Caleb’s again, and he says, “I’m glad you did.”

They kiss again, much longer this time, but they break apart when Yasha clears her throat and says, “As happy as this moment is for you, I’m pretty sure it’s frowned upon to make out in a public place. Just saying.”

Fjord nods, still impossibly close to Caleb, and softly asks, “Wanna get out of here?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”


End file.
